03 mrt Nee. Non. NO. Nein.

We say NO to good ideas every day. And therefore we are the most focused company that I know of or have read of or have any knowledge of. We say NO to great ideas in order to keep the amount of things we focus on very small in numbers so that we can put enormous energy behind the ones we choose. | Tim Cook, Apple CEO

Time to say NO

Saying NO is something I had to learn and I still find it incredibly hard. When you’re a people pleaser you might worry that saying NO to something will be seen as rejection, or make you appear unhelpful or hostile. Well I guess I don’t have to explain to you that that’s a complete mindfuck. It’s kind of logical that these thoughts are irrational and have the power to distract you from doing the right thing. Sometimes I just hope that it all boils down to the fact that we say YES because we aren’t able to think of a good way to say NO.

Succeeding in a world of too much,

is not about producing ‘more’, in fact .. It is about doing less, better and with more impact. If that’s what you are aiming for, then I highly recommend you to make better choices or to say NO more often. Saying NO is not simple. And it seems that we’ve been conditioned to believe that saying “yes” to opportunities is the right thing to do. If a manager or collegue asks you for a favor, and the desire to impress kicks in, that desire will make it harder to decline. Sometimes the urge to prove your worth can be overwhelming too and the effect of authority also has its influence on saying “yes”. It even turns out that when we’re being told to do something, that kind of demand can reduce our need to take responsibility for our actions and automatically removes our need to decide. Oh and ofcourse the imaginary spotlight mostly adds some pressure. When there is pressure involved, most of us default to the safest option and say “yes”.

It requires DOING

If what I wrote above sounds familiar to you, then you should really start using the two-letter word more often. Practise makes perfect. The two-letter word is needed to set some boundaries to eventually protect your focus and attention, so that you can create more impact. So lets start by doing;  

Over the next week, say NO to at least one request you would normally say YES to. See how it feels.

Good luck!

Bron: Tony Crabbe – Busy